Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

Yesterday the Taoiseach announced in the Dáil the introduction of random breath testing. He said that after discussions with the Attorney General, it is now okay to proceed in that direction. Yesterday the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, was reported in the newspapers as stating there could be constitutional difficulties. It would appear this matter has now been resolved, yet there is ongoing debate on whether there will be a referendum on the issue. When can we have a definitive response to the question of whether we will have random breath testing? There is still much confusion in this area.

I welcome the introduction of penalty points for offences other than those currently subject to them. The awarding of these penalty points will commence on 1 April and the increase in the list of offences will represent a sea change for motorists. Will the Government, in conjunction with local authorities throughout the country, embark on a public relations exercise to make motorists aware of all the offences which will be subject to penalty points from 1 April? They should be proactive in informing the public. Given the carnage on the roads, it is high time we had positive movement in this regard. The motorist deserves to know about the changes to be made.